


A Gentle Nudge

by Relh99



Series: While We Wait [6]
Category: Sanders Sides (Web Series)
Genre: no beta we die like men, possibly more characters will be added, possibly more tags Will be added, unlikely friendship, who knows where I’m going with this
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-04
Updated: 2020-08-20
Packaged: 2021-03-04 00:48:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 11,294
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24534865
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Relh99/pseuds/Relh99
Summary: Deceit couldn’t go and directly interact with Thomas face-to-face. Not yet, at least. And with his so-called “friend” working hard to keep Thomas from listening to Deceit’s influence, he has to turn to elsewhere for help getting his points across.(Part 6 of a series. Kind of recommend reading the other parts to understand minor references I’ll be making, but it’s not completely necessary).
Relationships: Deceit | Janus Sanders & Logic | Logan Sanders
Series: While We Wait [6]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1742587
Comments: 60
Kudos: 63





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Do I have any idea where I’m going with this? No. Do I ever have any idea where I’m going with any of my chaptered fics in this series? Also no. Was my main inspiration behind writing this the fact that Janus and Logan are my two favorite characters in the Sanders Sides series? Maybe, but that’s not the point here.
> 
> Basically just Logan and Janus getting along early on in the series before Janus even revealed himself to Thomas.

The mind palace library wasn’t a spot often visited by the other sides apart from Logan, so when he heard the rap of knuckles against the door frame, he jumped slightly in his seat and looked up. Standing there was the serpent himself, Deceit. Logan sighed and turned his attention back down to his planner.

“Hello to you too, Logic,” Deceit hummed. “I’m doing well, thanks for asking.”

“Do you need something, Deceit?” Logan asked, not looking up.

Deceit said nothing as he walked over to the table where Logan was sitting. The logical side tried to pay him no mind, but it was quite difficult after growing so used to being alone in the library. The change was distracting. Deceit placed a hand on the table and leaned over to stare at Logan’s planner.

“Plotting world domination?” Deceit asked.

“World domination would be impractical. If you want to gain power, start small and work your way up,” Logan explained.

“Go big or go home.”

“We’re literally in Thomas’ head, that’s the closest to home we’re going to get.”

Deceit sighed and sat down across from Logan. “What are you doing?”

Logan glanced up for a moment to try and get a read on the snake's face. The other four sides were easy, all relying heavily on emotions to make any and all decisions. Their expressions gave everything away. Deceit on the other hand was tricky. He was much better at hiding what he was thinking. It was all part of his job after all.

“If you must know, I am looking back at Thomas’ past New Years resolutions and taking note of when he stopped following them so I can better prepare for this year,” Logan explained. 

“Ooo, sounds like fun,” Deceit said, trying to read what Logan had written down. “I love New Years resolutions.”

“Hm,” was all Logan added. He wasn’t a fan of being interrupted during his work.

“What are you thinking the big man himself needs to work on this year?” Deceit asked, trying to push the conversation.

Logan sighed and flipped to his future notes. “Well, it goes without saying that Thomas needs to work on expanding his mind. He’s set on this YouTube thing, so the more knowledge he acquires, the easier it’ll be for him to make engaging, educational content.”

He waited for Deceit to call him boring or say his resolution was stupid, but the snake just nodded. “I agree, Thomas knowing more in general would definitely be beneficial in the long run.”

Logan’s eyes narrowed as he stared at the side across the table. “None of the others ever agree with my ideas.”

“Well, that sounds like a them problem.”

“What do you want?” Logan asked. He wasn’t a fan of these back and forth games Deceit liked to play. He also didn’t trust the fact that the snake’s buddy, Anxiety, recently made himself known to Thomas. How much longer before Thomas learned about the other sides that lingered in his personality? 

“Who says I want anything?” Deceit asked, grinning widely. “I’m just happy that you’re looking out for Thomas!”

“Falsehood,” Logan snapped. “You’re up to something, and I want to know what.”

“Logan,” the snake hummed, sending a chill down the logical side’s spine. It was rare to hear his name being used so casually. Thomas didn’t even know their names yet. “All I want is for Thomas to stick to his goals. This year will be different, I can feel it.”

“And why do you care if Thomas sticks to his goals or not?” Logan asked.

“You know I’m more than just deceit,” Deceit said. “Goals to better oneself are beneficial, even if they don’t last too long. A little improvement for a short amount of time is better than no improvement at all. As Thomas’ self preservation, him setting goals soothes me. The healthier and smarter a person is, the easier they are to keep alive.”

That made sense. Deceit did have a role to play, even if Thomas wasn’t yet aware of his existence. He was there to look out for Thomas and Thomas alone. Someone to balance Patton’s extreme selflessness out.

“My question then is why are you coming to me about this?” Logan asked. “What, do Anxiety and the Duke not not agree with your thoughts on New Year's resolutions?”

Deceit scoffed and rolled his eyes. “Remus couldn’t care less what goals Thomas sets. Anxiety on the other hand, he thinks resolutions are pointless. Since Thomas failed in the past, he thinks Thomas won’t succeed in the future.”

Logan nodded. “Thomas’ track record with keeping up on his New Year's resolutions is quite dismal.”

“But that doesn’t mean he’s incapable of doing better.”

“Correct, there is always room for improvement,” Logan agreed.

Deceit smiled and leaned back in his chair. “Glad we’re on the same page.”

“I still don’t fully understand why you came to me,” Logan said. “Our two groups don’t interact often.”

“Anxiety started interacting with you guys,” Deceit pointed out. “Listen, I like Anxiety, but he can be a bit... negative. I just don’t want him to convince Thomas to give up before he even starts.”

“So you want me to convince Thomas to stick to his resolutions? You do realize that I do that every year, right?” Logan asked.

“I want you to convince Thomas to not give up on his resolutions before he even gives them a shot,” Deceit clarified. 

“Why not just show up and talk to Thomas yourself?”

Deceit just stared at him. “Yes, let me just show up, no warning, introduce myself as Deceit, and then instantly have Princey and Patton shoot me down before I can get a single word out. Great idea, I can see why they call you Logic.”

“I can see why that wouldn’t go over well,” Logan agreed, speaking slowly. “But how do you plan on convincing Roman and Patton to go along with your plan of getting Thomas to follow through on his resolutions?”

“Oh please!” Deceit laughed. “I don’t have to do anything with those two. They’re so full of endless optimism that they’ll fight to convince him even if Anxiety shows up to say otherwise. I just came to talk to you to see if all of you were on the same page.”

“This doesn’t seem like your normal type of scheme.”

“I’m just looking out for Thomas. Honest.”

“It seems strange that you’re sitting here talking to me to plot against one of your friends,” Logan stated. While Deceit was making excellent points in their discussion, he still didn’t trust him.

“Strange how you didn’t shout ‘evil!’ upon seeing me enter and actually managed to get through a conversation with me despite our differences,” Deceit countered.

“I’m always up for a healthy discussion.”

“As am I,” Deceit smiled. With that, he stood up and walked away from the table, leaving the mind palace library. Logan was suddenly alone again, left to his thoughts and his planner. While he still wasn’t exactly sure what Deceit got out of that conversation, it didn’t change Logan’s plans. He was still going to come up with resolutions for Thomas to follow this upcoming year. Cutting out carbs, working to stop procrastinating, fixing his sleep schedule-

All of these felt like lies starring Logan in the face. He knew Thomas wouldn’t be able to stick to any of them for too long, but like Deceit said, even a little bit of improvement for a short period of time was better than no improvement at all. Maybe convincing Thomas that he could actually stick to his resolutions, even if it was a lie, wouldn’t be so bad.


	2. Chapter 2

“Planning for Thomas’ next video, Logic?”

Logan jumped, almost spilling his coffee on the kitchen floor. He turned around to find Deceit standing in the entryway, smirking at Logan’s struggles.

“Deceit,” Logan greeted, trying to keep himself from getting frustrated. All of the sides shared a kitchen, Deceit was allowed to be there, plus Logan had no proof he purposefully meant to startle him. “To answer your question, no, I'm not currently planning for Thomas’ next video project. Right now, I’m just getting a cup of coffee and possibly some lunch.”

“Lunch?” The snake asked. “It’s 12:30.”

“Exactly, a perfectly reasonable time for someone to prepare lunch,” he nodded. 

“Logan, it’s 12:30 am.”

Logan blinked and pulled out his phone to check the time. Sure enough, the digital clock read 12:27 am, three minutes shy of the time Deceit gave.

“Huh,” Logan said. “So it is.”

“Did you seriously go all day without eating?” Deceit asked.

“You did ask if I was prepping for Thomas’ next video, and I was before I took a break to get coffee. I guess I lost track of time while I was working. Eating this late isn’t healthy I know-“

“But neither is going all day without having something,” Deceit finished, cutting him off.

Logan nodded in agreement. “I’ll make some scrambled eggs. Did you want any?”

Deceit looked surprised by the offer, but shrugged at the question. “If you’re going to make some anyway, sure. I came in here for a snack, but eggs will suffice.”

Logan said nothing as he started getting everything ready. He grabbed four eggs out of the fridge and began heating up a pan. Deceit sat down at the island table quietly while Logan worked. It was quite unusual. Sure, every now and then Patton would force Roman and Logan to join him for a “family dinner,” but rarely did Logan actually eat with anyone else. Despite his best efforts to get Thomas’ sleep schedule in check, he still did a lot of his work late into the night. A lot of work that required help from Logan, hence the coffee and strange eating hours.

Logan picked up his mug and took a huge gulp of the warm beverage. “Please tell me you’re drinking decaf,” Deceit sighed.

“Do you have a problem with my drink preferences?” Logan asked.

“Oh no, I too love when my work is interrupted after I over caffeinated at inappropriate hours by Anxiety crashing the party,” Deceit responded sarcastically.

“Do you dislike Anxiety?” Logan asked.

“I don’t think anybody likes having anxiety,” Deceit shrugged. “But if you’re referring to Anxiety the side, no, I don’t dislike him. We don’t see eye-to-eye on a lot of issues, but we’re both here to keep Thomas safe.”

“I’ve just noticed that you have a habit of speaking negatively about him in my presence,” Logan commented.

“Two conversations doesn’t equal a pattern of behavior,” Deceit corrected. “You’d need three conversations of me doing so to claim that I’ve made it a habit.”

“I’m not used to being corrected.”

“That just means the others aren’t paying attention.”

Logan divided the eggs onto two plates and slid one of them across the island to Deceit. He set his own plate down opposite the snake and went to find the salt and pepper for his eggs.

“Did you want something to drink?” Logan asked.

“I’d like you to drink something else,” Deceit said, nodding towards the coffee mug.

“Thomas still has a lot of work to get done-“

“And it’ll get done tomorrow,” Deceit cut off. “Or rather, later tonight. If you want to get more done, pitch me some of your thoughts while we eat.”

Logan sat down and went to grab for his mug, but Deceit was faster and pulled the coffee away from him. “You talk, I’m dumping this down the sink.”

Logan frowned, but didn’t stop him from pouring the drink out. “Thomas wants to do a video on his time on the ‘Bizaardvark’ set. I’ve been jotting down points he should hit during the video, but I’m stuck on what to title it.”

Deceit sat back down and took a bite of his eggs. Logan wasn’t sure why he was listening to the other side, or why Deceit was even asking about his work. It didn’t make any sense, but at the same time, it was nice to have someone actually listen to him.

“Clickbait is my way to go,” Deceit said, swallowing his food.

“Clickbait?”

“Yeah. It’s sort of like lying to grab the audience’s attention,” Deceit explained, taking another bite.

“I know what clickbait is,” Logan said. “I’m just wondering why Thomas would use clickbait for this video?”

“Oh, I’m not just talking about video. Thomas should be using clickbait way more often. People love that stuff.”

Logan frowned. “I don’t think people in general are fans of clickbait. Being misled into clicking on something based off of an incorrect title can be frustrating to some who found the title itself appealing.“

“You correct them in the video,” Deceit continued. “That way it’s not a complete lie.”

“I’m still not sure,” Logan admitted. “It doesn’t fit Thomas’ trend of titling his videos.”

“Right, you’re worried about the trend and definitely not Patton shutting you down for even attempting to lie,” Deceit hummed. 

Logan nodded. “I understand that you’re being sarcastic, but that statement is correct. We don’t know how Thomas’ audience would respond to being clickbaited.”

“Think of it less like lying and more like a fun little introduction that gets clarified later on,” Deceit pitched. 

“Like a lead in,” Logan clarified.

Deceit smiled. “Exactly!”

“Once again, we don’t know how Thomas’ audience will respond to that type of misleading. I don’t want to suggest something that could potentially cause the video to perform poorly.”

Deceit sighed and set his fork down. “Okay, new approach. How do you feel about doing a little experiment?”

Logan paused. He didn’t trust Deceit, but at the same time, he couldn’t help but be intrigued by the unknown experiment. “I’m listening.”

“Anxiety’s influence has increased over Thomas since he showed his face, correct?”

“Correct,” Logan nodded.

“You too should have a pretty strong influence over Thomas’ decision making since you’ve shown your face. If you push for Thomas to use a clickbait title for the next video and he listens to you, then you’ll know you have a strong influence. If you push and he doesn’t listen, then you know where you stand in his eyes,” Deceit explained.

“A proper experiment would need to be repeated more than once to be a true experiment-“

“We’re going to take some creative liberties with it,” Deceit said, cutting him off. “Think about it. You want to see if Thomas listens to you or not, try and convince him to use clickbait for the title.”

On that note, Deceit stood up and went to go set his plate in the sink. “Thanks for the meal. Let me know how your little trial and error goes. No need to thank me for the genius idea.”

He left and again, Logan was alone with his thoughts. These conversations with Deceit were strange to say the least, but he didn’t hate the idea of testing how much Thomas listens to him. Logan had a lot of good ideas to offer. Surely he’d be able to convince Thomas to use one clickbait title. He already did the misleading compliment vines. This was similar enough to not feel too off brand. Thomas would listen to Logic for sure.

******

Seeing the title “I’M IN A DISNEY SHOW!!” pop up on the screen a week later would’ve been more heartbreaking if Logan experienced emotions.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that’s on people not listening to Logan since 2017.


	3. Chapter 3

Logan was frustrated to say the least. Why wasn’t Thomas listening to him? If the video title had been a lone incident, that’d be one thing, but it felt like no matter how hard Logan tried to bring some logic to the table, Patton was always there with his feelings or Roman with his whimsy to drag Thomas away from making the logical choice in any situation. 

The mind palace was not difficult to navigate. Every side had their own private rooms that served as bed rooms, there was a general kitchen, a living room very similar to Thomas’, and then on the opposite side of the mind palace was a den area. A place where only Deceit, Anxiety, and the Duke would hang out. It wasn’t like the others were incapable of entering, but they avoided it nonetheless. The living was their space, the den was the other sides’ space. That’s just how they worked.

At that particular moment though, Logan didn’t seem to care much about tradition as he marched down the hall towards the den. The door to enter was hidden in a sense. It was a sliding door that blended in with the wall pretty well. Without hesitation, Logan grabbed the door and slid it open. Only one side was present in the den, and Logan felt an odd sense of relief when he realized it was exactly who he was looking for.

Deceit looked up from his book and smirked. “Logan, fancy seeing you here.”

“Thomas isn’t listening to me,” Logan said, cutting right to the chase.

“No!” Deceit gasped in mock horror. “What ever gave you that idea?”

“Not now!” Logan snapped. He closed the door behind him and walked over, tossing his planner onto the coffee table and taking a seat across from Deceit. “Look at Thomas’ schedule for this weekend.”

Deceit stared at him for a moment before flipping to the correct date in the planner. “Honestly? This is a mess. He’s over booked himself. He has no time for himself.”

“Patton wants him to help his friends move that day,” Logan explained. 

“Oh yeah, sounds good, as long as Thomas is okay with not sleeping and only eats in transit, that should work out perfectly,” Deceit said dryly. “Please tell me you convinced Thomas not to listen to his inner dad for once.”

“I know you heard me say that Thomas isn’t listening to me when I came in,” Logan frowned. “You responded to my comment, I assumed you heard it.”

“So you’re coming to me for help?” Deceit asked. 

Logan sighed. He hated doing this, but he also hated watching Thomas not taking proper time for himself. “Yes, I’m asking for some advice. Thomas bought himself some time after Patton and I got into an altercation regarding the phone call by saying he’d get back to his friend, but I’m concerned that he’ll side with Patton over me in the end.”

Deceit stared at the planner for a minute before looking back to Logan. “I think I know what the problem is.”

“What?”

“You’re letting Thomas’ feelings run amuck,” Deceit explained. “Thomas understands logically that he doesn’t have the time, nor will he have the energy to help his friend that day. However, Patton is more concerned about how his friend feels, and Anxiety is worried about seeming like a bad friend. It’s simple math, the odds are against you.”

“Your argument regarding Patton makes sense, but Anxiety wasn’t present for that argument,” Logan clarified. If he had been, Logan would’ve been shut down immediately, out numbered two-to-one. 

“Just because he was physically there doesn’t mean he’s not still making an impact,” Deceit pointed out. “Remus and I are still able to influence Thomas to a degree, and he doesn’t even know we exist.”

“Would you mind using some of that influence then to help me make my case against Patton?” Logan asked. As much as he hated asking for help in general, Deceit, surprisingly enough, had been surprisingly supportive of Logan’s ideas and suggestions. While normally he wouldn’t trust the words of a liar, he felt like he could tell when the snake was being honest. 

Deceit crossed his arms and tapped his foot, his eyes wandering off to a corner of the room, making him appear like he was considering what Logan was asking.

“I could help you influence Thomas,” he hummed. “But...”

“But?” Logan asked.

The snake grinned and looked back at Logan. “What’s in it for me? I do some heavy lifting, offer up some advice, and for what? Thomas doesn’t know about me yet, so it’s not like you can tell him that I helped.”

This whole thing suddenly felt wrong. The den felt ten times smaller, and Deceit’s grin looked too wide up close. All of Thomas’ Catholic stories started playing in Logan’s mind. The serpent tempting Eve, the Lucifer tempting Jesus- this felt all too familiar. A deal with the devil. Logan should’ve felt afraid.

“What do you want?” Logan asked. It was a good thing he didn’t deal with emotions.

Deceit blinked, the corners of his smile dropping just a tad. He hasn’t been expecting Logan to take the bait. 

“I don’t want much,” Deceit admitted.

“Liar.”

“Oh, Logic, you know me so well,” he chuckled. “I don’t want much. Getting Thomas to take some time for himself is plenty of motivation to get me involved, but since you asked...” Deceit said, dragging out the end of his sentence. “I wouldn’t mind some decent book recommendations.”

Now it was Logan’s turn to blink in surprise. “Pardon me?”

“Logan, you’re one of the only intellectuals here,” Deceit deadpanned. “You think Remus has any good books lying around? Maybe a kama sutra, but that’s about it. I’m almost done with the book I’m currently reading. I wouldn’t mind something a little more engaging.”

“All you want are a few literature recommendations from me?” Logan asked for clarity.

“Yes.”

Deceit set the planner back down on the table and Logan stared at it for a moment before picking it up himself and nodding his head. “Deal. I’ll drop a few things off outside your door tonight.”

“Can’t wait,” Deceit smirked.

Logan got up and left the den, his mind no longer stressing over Thomas’ weekend schedule. Instead, he was busy running over different books in his head that Deceit might enjoy. Perhaps “The Murder of Roger Ackroyd,” by Agatha Christie. He had recently finished it himself, and the ending had been phenomenal. He might even like “In Cold Blood,” by Truman Capote. Logan found himself jotting down book titles as he walked back to his room, his frustration from earlier gone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Can you tell I didn’t want to end another chapter on a sad note? I honestly didn’t mean to end chapter 2 like that, so hopefully this makes up for that!


	4. Chapter 4

Logan knocked on the door to Deceit’s room and waited. He had hunted down a couple books he figured Deceit would enjoy and wanted to drop them off before anyone could accuse him of “conspiring with the enemy” as Roman would dramatically put it. No one answered though, so Logan knocked again. He checked the kitchen on his way over, so he knew Deceit wasn’t there. Logan tapped his foot and started listing off different places the snake could possibly be in the mind palace.

“He’s not in there, ya know.”

Logan spun around to find the Duke peaking out from his own room. 

“Do you know where he is?” Logan asked.

“Why do you wanna know?” Remus fires back.

Logan held up the books he had been carrying. “I was just trying to deliver these. Deceit requested some new reading material, so I wanted to make sure he got these.”

The Duke stared at Logan for a moment before rolling his eyes. “God, you two are boring! Last I heard, he slithered off to the library. You probably took too long with your delivery, pocket protector.”

“Insults aside, thank you for your help, Remus,” Logan said before turning to head towards the library. Remus made some noise of acknowledgement before shutting his door. That was a side Logan was glad Thomas didn’t know about. He’d have to thank Deceit for keeping intrusive thoughts on a tight leash. Sure, every now and then his influence slipped out, but it was nothing too bad to set off Patton or Anxiety’s alarm, so that was nice. Logan already struggled enough in regards to getting Thomas to stick to a sleep schedule.

Logan reached the library and pushed open the heavy doors. Sure enough, Deceit was sitting at a table taking notes on something. He had several books opened around him. One of them appeared to be a dictionary. Even without any context regarding what Deceit was working on, Logan could appreciate the work he was putting into it.

Deceit looked up from his work at the sound of the library doors opening. He smirked before looking back down at his notes. “Didn’t expect to see you here, Logic.”

“Well, that seems like a miscalculation on your part, since I spend a good portion of my time here,” Logan responded, walking over to the table.

“Silly me,” Deceit chuckled. “I’ll make sure to double check my math next time. What brings you here?”

Logan set the books he brought down onto the table. “These, actually. You said you were in need of new reading material, so I thought I’d drop off a few things for you to look over.”

Deceit set his pen down and reached over to grab the small stack of books Logan he set down. The stack contained “The Murder of Roger Ackroyd,” “The Memory Keeper’s Daughter,” “Never Let Me Go,” and “Othello,” just to throw in some Shakespeare. 

“Othello?” Deceit chuckled. “Bold of you to assume I haven’t read that already.”

“Have you?”

“Of course I have,” Deceit said while he read the back cover of the play. Logan couldn’t tell if he was lying about having read it or not, so he decided to just drop the topic entirely.

“I hope these will suffice,” Logan said, nodding his head towards the stack of books. “If not, just let me know and I can find something else more to your liking.”

“These will be fine, thank you, Logan.” Deceit set the books Logan had brought under that table before picking up his pen and continuing his notes. Logan watched him for a moment before pulling out a chair and taking a seat.

“May I ask what you are working on?”

“You may ask, but who knows if you’ll believe me,” Deceit muttered.

“Try me,” Logan pushed. “I’m curious. None of the other sides ever sit down to study up on a subject.”

“True,” Deceit sighed. “I was originally looking over John Stewart Mill’s work, but I keep pausing to take note of the words I am unfamiliar with.”

“Ah, John Stewart Mill,” Logan hummed. “Are you planning for a debate against Patton?”

Deceit laughed at the question. “Oh yes, because that ball of sunshine would be able to participate in a proper debate.”

Logan tried to stifle his own laughter. “Yes,‘I suppose you’re right. Patton would not be the most... appropriate debate partner. So why Mill?”

“Well, as Deceit it doesn’t hurt to have a couple philosophers who support my own beliefs on my side,” he explained. 

“I would also recommend researching some philosophers who disagree with your own personal stance on lying,” Logan suggested. “You could use their arguments to help further your own by pointing out their flaws.”

Deceit stared at Logan for a moment before grinning. “Wow, didn’t think you’d be willing to help out one of Thomas’ evil sides.”

Logan scoffed. “Roman has a tendency to be a tad over dramatic when it comes to labeling you guys. While I’m not a fan of your approach in regards to acting as Thomas’ self preservation, I wouldn’t classify you as evil per-say.”

Deceit didn’t say anything in response, but he did nod his head once before looking back down at his notes. “Well, guess I’ll have to find even more philosophers to read up on. Riveting,” he sighed.

“Yes, that does sound quite exciting,” Logan agreed. He wished he could hide away and do endless amounts of research on any and all topics he found interesting, but unfortunately, he was responsible for keeping Thomas on track in regards to his work. He still had to write down an editing schedule for the week, as well as meet with Roman to go over potential topics, and then run those topics by Patton of course to see if they were appropriate for Thomas’ brand. While he enjoyed the work, he also wished he could be nose deep in a good philosophy book, taking notes as he went.

Logan watched as Deceit paused and turned to the dictionary he had opened up. He flipped through a couple pages before jotting something down.

“What word was that you wrote down?” Logan asked.

“Infinitesimal,” Deceit said.

“Infinitesimal,” Logan repeated. “I must admit, that is not a word that is currently present in my vocabulary. Do you mind telling me the definition?”

Deceit smirked and kept his eyes on his notebook. “It means really big.”

Logan nodded. “I’ll remember that for later, thank you, Deceit.”

“Anytime, Logic.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No I totally didn’t look up a current AP English reading approved booked list to come up with book titles for this chapter. That’d be ridiculous. Side note- “The Memory Keeper’s Daughter,” and “Never Let Me Go” are both books I did essays on my senior year of high school for my college level English class, and I’d highly recommend both.
> 
> Also, John Stewart Mill is an actual philosopher that I read a quick summary on and threw in here. I’m not an expert in any way, shape, or form, I literally read 1 paragraph and said that was enough research for a fanfic 😂
> 
> As always, thank you guys for reading and leaving such lovely comments, I love all of you 💚


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to make you guys wait this long! Work has been crazy, plus I’m still taking German online, and everything has just been hectic this last week or so. I didn’t abandon this fic or this series, I just lost track of time! I’m sorry, thank you all for being patient with me!

The knocking on Logan’s door caused the poor side to jump in his chair, resulting in him smacking his knee against the desk. He winced, but quickly recovered. He stood up and straightened up the items that were jostled when he hit the underside of the desk before going over to the door to see who was there.

For some strange reason, Logan wasn’t too surprised to see Deceit standing there in the hallway. He was slowly growing used to the serpent’s presence. Whether or not that was something Logan needed to be concerned about, he tabled for a later time. 

“Deceit,” Logan greeted. “What brings you here?”

“Logan,” Deceit nodded back. “I was in the area and figured I’d return the books you had lent me.”

“What do you mean in the area, you’re never on this side of the mind palace?” Logan asked.

Deceit rolled his eyes. “Do you want your books back or not?”

Logan took the books Deceit was holding out. “Did you find them enjoyable?”

“Worst books I’ve ever read.”

“Glad to hear that you liked them.”

Deceit smirked, appearing somewhat glad that Logan was catching on to his way of speaking. “Believe it or not, I actually have other motivations for being on this side of the mind palace. I just figured I’d kill two birds with one stone and drop off your books while I was over here.”

This caught Logan’s attention. The others normally stayed on their side of the mind palace. Logan going into the den and knocking on Deceit’s door had been weird enough. “May I ask what else you have to do over here?”

“I’m actually on my way to go thank Roman for today’s events,” Deceit admitted. “Thanks to Princey suggesting daydream mode, Remus was kept silent the entire time you guys were up there talking to the big man himself.”

“I thought you were friends with Remus?” Logan asked.

“You’re friends with Patton and Roman, are you not?” Deceit responded back with another question.

“I am.”

“Wouldn’t you enjoy a day where they couldn’t talk for an extended period of time?”

Logan had to admit that the thought of having a day free of interruptions, completely silent, and no nonsense did sound nice. 

“Alright, I do see your point,” Logan admitted. “Plus, I’m sure Roman will appreciate any and all boosts to his ego.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll deliver it in such a way that he’ll question whether I’m lying or not,” Deceit chuckled.

“You know he’ll do that anyway.”

“True.”

“Well, I’ll let you get to it, then,” Logan said. “Thank you for returning my books back to me. Let me know if you’re in need of more.”

“I wouldn’t mind if you had some more suggestions,” Deceit admitted. “But before I go I do have a question about what happened today.”

“You weren’t listening in?” Logan asked. “I assumed you and Remus listened in on all of our conversations with Thomas, since you two don’t want to show up in person yet.”

“I have no idea what you’re referring to, I’ve never listened in on a conversation with Thomas a day in my life,” Deceit lied. “And even if I did, do you really think that I was going to waste a day without Remus being able to speak listening in on a silly conversation? The whole topic revolves around Roman, I highly doubt anything intelligent was shared.”

“Then why are you curious to know what transpired?” Logan asked.

“Anxiety hasn’t left his room since he got back,” Deceit sighed. “It’s not uncommon for him to hide in there for a bit after being overwhelmed by talking to you all, but it’s been several hours now and he hasn’t even come out to grab a bite to eat or be passive aggressive towards me or Remus.”

“Ah, so you’re worried about your friend,” Logan nodded.

“Never,” Deceit glared. “I’m just curious as to what happened.”

“Just curious?”

“Look, I’m only asking you because I know if I ask Roman, he’ll give me an over exaggeration of what happened,” Deceit sighed. “Just tell me, did something happen to piss off Anxiety?”

Logan set the book down on the shelf right by his door and shrugged. “Honestly, I’m not too sure. He shot down Roman’s idea of Thomas doing a Sketch My Autobiography video.”

“You mean a Draw My Life?” Deceit asked.

“Apparently that’s the true title, but I prefer Sketch My Autobiography,” Logan said. “It makes the whole thing appear more structured.”

“Okay, so he shot down the video idea,” Deceit repeated back. 

“Yes, then we did the whole daydream mode thing, which I, personally, am not a fan of. Different video formats were experimented with, but none of them were truly original, like Roman was aiming for. Towards the end, we came to the conclusion that putting a new spin on ideas was entertaining enough, Anxiety argued that it wasn’t original so Roman failed, and then we all agreed that evolving an idea to make it your own was good enough.”

“When you say ‘we’ you mean...”

“Myself, Patton, Thomas, and Roman,” Logan clarified. 

“What did Anxiety have to say on the evolving an idea proposal?” Deceit asked.

“Nothing, actually. He left without saying anything,” Logan explained.

“Hmm,” Deceit hummed. “Well, thank you for the clarification and the literature. If you have any more book suggestions, don’t bother telling me, I’m not interested.”

“I’ll look around and see what I have,” Logan smirked. “Do you have an author or genre preference?”

“I hate mysteries.”

Logan frowned. “I’m not entirely sure if you’re lying or not.”

Deceit smirked. “Guess you’ll find out depending on if I like what you recommend next.”

“Guess so,” Logan sighed.

“As fun as it is standing here chatting with you, I must hunt down Princey and give him my thanks before I overstay my welcome on this side of the mind palace,” Deceit said, stepping away from the door. “You’ll never see me again.”

“Doubt that,” Logan said, rolling his eyes. He went to close the door as Deceit began to walk away, but something clicked in his mind that caused Logan to throw the door open and stick his head out into the hallway. “Deceit!” He snapped.

The snake man turned around, looking puzzled. “Yes?”

“You lied to me about the definition of infinitesimal!” 

Deceit paused for a moment before bursting out in laughter. Logan glared at him while Deceit wiped away a stray tear. “You cannot blame me for that one, teach!”

“You told me it meant really big!” Logan snapped.

The serpent kept laughing. “And you’re the one who chose to believe someone that you literally know as Deceit without fact checking your sources.”


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oof, sorry for taking so long on this. In all honesty, I wrote this entire chapter in the span of maybe an hour? I felt bad for making you guys wait so long. Explanation on why will be at the end for anyone who’s curious.

Logan wasn’t sure when exactly he stopped questioning Deceit randomly popping in to join him in the library. Normally, Logan didn’t have an opinion on the other side’s presence, but today he was grateful to have someone to voice his concerns to.

“Do you think Thomas is where he needs to be in life?”

That got the snake’s attention. Deceit looked up from his own book to stare at Logan. “Well that came out of nowhere.”

“Thomas is turning 28 tomorrow,” Logan explained. “He’s an adult, but he doesn’t always act like one. I wanted to know your opinions on the matter.”

Deceit sighed and closed his book. “What are you preparing to lecture him on now?”

Logan slid the notebook he had been writing in across the table. “I have a few categories written down. I was about to get into specifics, unless you have anything else to add.”

Deceit skimmed over the notes for a moment and paused. “These are all good, but I’d also had ‘Personal Health Responsibilities,’ to the categories,” he replied, sliding the notebook back over to Logan. “You’re not planning on bombarding Thomas with all of this tomorrow, are you?”

“Why, do you think tomorrow would be a bad time?” Logan asked.

“No, I can’t imagine a better way to spend one’s birthday than reflecting on everything they’re doing wrong in life and panic over the future.”

“A birthday is a good reminder of the passage of time,” Logan said, writing down Deceit’s suggestion and adding ‘mental health’ underneath it. “I think it would be appropriate to bring at least a few of these topics up tomorrow.”

“I’m going to stop you right there, Logan,” Deceit said, raising his hand. “You are to do no such thing. Tomorrow is Thomas’ day. You’re going to keep that little notebook of yours locked up until the 25th, got it?”

Logan blinked one surprise, not expecting Deceit to disagree with him on this. He had grown used to the two of them seeing eye-to-eye on quite a few topics. This stern disagreement wasn’t new to Logan as a concept, but it was new coming from Deceit.

“Would you mind explaining your request in more detail?” Logan asked. He was curious as to where this sudden difference in opinion came from.

“Look, birthdays are one of the few times I can actually win against Patton and convince Thomas to focus on himself for a day,” Deceit sighed. “It’s an easy win for me. It’s not a crime to take a day for ones self, but it sometimes feels like it is when selflessness is prioritized over selfishness.”

Logan nodded in agreement. “That is a fair request. Very well, I will not bring up these topics on Thomas’ actual birthday.”

“Good. Now,” Deceit said, leaning across the table, “what exactly do you plan on lecturing the poor boy on this time? Because I have a few ideas that I can’t bring up in person, for obvious reasons.”

“Because we’re not real people.”

“What, no-“ Deceit cut himself off. “I mean yes, spot on. You got it. That’s the reason.”

Logan pulled out his planner and flipped to the daily tasks page. “I’m going to suggest that Thomas work on pursuing a higher form of education, but I know that would be a big first step, so I figured an easy starting point would be getting his sleep schedule on track.”

“Going to stop drinking coffee, Logan?” Deceit smirked.

“Yes actually, if it’ll make Thomas healthier overall,” Logan confirmed. “Fixing his poor eating habits is also a big priority.”

“Where do the things that keep Thomas happy come into play?” Deceit asked, trying to read Logan’s notes upside down from across the table.

“What do you mean?”

“If you make him go to bed at 10 pm, that’s cutting out time he normally takes to watch a show he likes. Completely changing his diet would also remove a lot of things he enjoys, including sweets. I’m all for getting Thomas to take care of himself, but it looks like there’s nothing in that plan that focuses on Thomas’ mental well-being.”

Logan frowned, not understanding what Deceit what saying. “Doing these things should improve his health overall, which should lead to a better mental state. As far as entertainment goes, I was going to add reading as a fun activity. Maybe he could even start a book club.”

“Riveting,” Deceit deadpanned.

“I agree,” Logan nodded, not catching the other side’s change of tone. “And this is only the beginning of what I have planned!”

“Assuming you can get Thomas to listen to you,” Deceit commented.

Logan shot the serpent a quick glare. “Yes. This is all under the assumption that I am successful in getting Thomas to listen to my ideas.”

Deceit picked up his book and smiled, standing up from the table. “Best of luck to you.”

Logan frowned. “I shouldn’t need luck. Surely Thomas will see the long term benefits of this plan. Plus, with a few key topics, I can get Roman arguing my side as well.”

“And you can always count on Anxiety willing to offer his help in making Thomas worry about his future.”

“The future is something to be concerned about without a solid plan in place helping one figure out where they need to be headed in life,” Logan said. He was about 86 percent certain that Deceit was not on board with his plan to help improve Thomas’ life. “Do you have any complaints?”

“Oh no, nothing that I’m willing to argue,” Deceit said, waving him off. “But as someone who’s used to Thomas ignoring in favor of morality, do you honestly think you’ll succeed even with two other sides helping you out?”

“If Roman and Anxiety both helped further my arguments, Thomas wouldn’t be able to ignore us so easily. And with your background influence, we should have no issue getting Thomas on board with everything,” Logan answered, jotting a few more things down. He’d have to go and speak to Roman later today to see if he would be willing to assist in his plot.

Deceit chuckled. “You sound so sure of my willingness to help.”

“Are you not?”

Deceit glanced back down at the notebook for a brief moment. “Send me a picture of that plan in detail once you finish writing it out and I’ll get back to you.”

“Why the hesitation?” Logan asked.

“Would you prefer a flat out no?” 

Logan wasn’t sure what to make of anything Deceit said. He had already agreed to push back this conversation with Thomas. Why Deceit wasn’t more willing to help from behind the scenes was confusing. He knew Deceit was difficult to understand at times, but his hesitation here made no logical sense to Logic. Clearly a physically healthier Thomas that stuck to a more regular routine would also be a mentally healthier Thomas. Right?

“I’ll send it to you after I finish discussing a few more points with Roman,” Logan said, speaking a little more slowly than normal. Deceit didn’t seem to catch him though, and proceeded to leave the library without another word. Logan watched him leave before returning to his notes and planner. Everything had to be perfect if he wanted to pull this off. 

And in order to make sure everything went smoothly, he’s have to keep the snake in the shadows on this. He couldn’t risk Deceit sabotaging his plan all over a misplaced concern on Thomas’ mental well-being. Logan would’ve felt more guilty about lying if one, he felt emotions at all, and two, if it was anyone but the literal representation of Deceit.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The episode “Growing Up” is one of the few times where I personally think Janus would side with Patton (he’d want Thomas to make the “selfish” choices that make him happy). Not that he’d ever admit it at this point in time though. 
> 
> Excuses time:
> 
> 1\. I had a limited amount of time to finish up my German class online these last few weeks. My professor was kind enough to extend the semester for me, and I didn’t want to take up her whole summer waiting on me.
> 
> 2\. I’m currently working on an original story. My goal was to have all twenty chapters of book one drafted out by the end of the year, so I spent a good chunk of my time working on that. I normally switch back and forth between fics and that, but inspiration hit and I had to run with it.
> 
> That’s really it. School and working on a book I want to get published one day. I know I said this last time, but seriously, the next chapter should not take as long. I appreciate everyone who takes the time to read my fics, and I’m grateful for every comment you guys leave. Thank you for your patience and understanding 💚


	7. Chapter 7

Since Logan’s plan to get Thomas to stick to a consistent sleep schedule failed, well, since the majority of Logan’s plan of getting Thomas to make some big changes to his lifestyle in general failed due to a lack of “things that make Thomas happy,” thrown in, it was back to the metaphorical drawing board. Personally, Logan preceded good old fashioned paper and pencil to plan something out over a drawing board, but to each their own. The saying had to have come from somewhere.

He took a mental note to look up the origins of the phrase “back to the drawing board” later.

But since he had to redo most of his plan, Logan found himself with his planner and a new notebook in hand, three pencils and a spare eraser in his pocket, and an empty mug that he planned on filling to the brim with coffee in his free hand. Thomas wanted to stay up watching cartoons, and Logan wanted to take advantage of the extra time to help create a plan that would be more comfortable for Thomas regarding all of the changes Logan wanted to introduce. 

“Wow, Logan. I knew Thomas rejected your ideas, but I didn’t expect you to give up on them so quickly.”

Logan sighed and stared at the other side that was in the kitchen, blocking the empty coffee pot. “What do you want, Deceit? Do you want me to tell you that you were in fact correct and that Thomas took Patton’s side over mine? That I failed to take into account that the changes I wanted to introduce would lead to a more miserable life for Thomas overall?”

Deceit smirked. “No, that’s not what I want to hear at all.”

“Move please. I’m about to make a pot of coffee,” Logan said, nodding to the machine behind the snake faced side.

“Figured. Don’t worry, I already replaced the filter and added in fresh grounds,” Deceit said, taking a step away.

Logan eyed the pot cautiously. “Did you put decaf in there?”

“No.”

“I don’t believe you.”

Deceit sighed and walked away from the coffee maker. Logan went over and immeasurably threw away the filter and coffee grounds that Deceit had used, not trusting his word. He set down the items he had carried over and grabbed a new filter and the bag of blonde roast coffee.

“Ah yes. Just what you need at 10 o’clock at night. The extra caffeinated roast,” Deceit deadpanned.

“I’m choosing to ignore you,” Logan said.

“Oh trust me, I noticed,” Deceit hummed. “You didn’t send me your notes from the other week. I said if you sent them, I would give you an answer on if I was willing to help or not, but lo and behold, they never crossed my sight.”

“Correct,” Logan nodded, hitting the power button on the coffee maker. “I didn’t want to give you an unfair advantage to counter my points should you have decided to not work with me.”

“I never said I’d go against you,” Deceit said. “I just said I might not help. Not that it mattered, Patton’s say won out in the end like always.”

“Exactly, it didn’t matter, so why bring it up?” Logan asked.

Deceit shrugged. “I could have helped edit some of the points you had. I could’ve used thrown in some details that would’ve kept Thomas mentally happy to balance out your strict standards. It would’ve made it harder for Patton’s ideas to sound so appealing.”

Logan turned to face the deceitful side. “But you didn’t do that. You helped Patton, didn’t you?”

Deceit’s eyes narrowed at the accusation. To be fair, Logan was just stating a hypothesis he had. It had been three against one that day, Logan’s points should’ve sounded more appealing, especially with Roman there to help liven them up. Sure, Thomas listened to Patton quite a lot, but something about that whole argument felt off.

“You seriously believe I would go out of my way to help morality?” Deceit asked, sounding almost offended.

“I believe Patton should not have won that day.”

“You’re the one who asked him what you were doing wrong,” Deceit reminded him. “I tried to tell you before, but you ignored me like Thomas ignores you.”

Logan glared at Deceit, not enjoying the sudden tonal shift in their conversation. “I will admit, I should have tried harder to understand your points, but did you really have to jump straight into throwing around insults?”

“Look, just because I agreed with some of Patton’s points doesn’t mean I was using my influence to help him win,” Deceit said. “Funny enough, I didn’t have to! You asked him what you were doing wrong, and the second you admitted to not being completely correct, Thomas decided to listen to whatever dear old dad had to say over you.”

Logan sighed and grabbed his mug off of the counter and poured himself a steaming cup of coffee. He took a long drink, ignoring the shocked look Deceit gave him as he drank the burning liquid. He sighed and put the now half empty mug down. “What would you suggest I change in my original plan to make it more appealing to Thomas?”

Deceit blinked in surprise, not expecting Logan to ask him for advice after he just took the time to insult him. He took a moment to pause and think over his answer. “Thomas’ friends. Include them.”

That wasn’t the answer Logan had been expecting. “Why?”

Deceit shrugged. “Even though Thomas might not fully focus on himself while he’s around his friends, it still makes him happy when they’re around. They’re an easy resource to take advantage of when it comes to keeping Thomas’ mental health in check.”

Logan flipped open his new notebook and quickly jotted down the friends related note. “Understood. I’ll try and work them into my new plan for Thomas’ life.”

Deceit nodded. “Might also want to tweak the sleep schedule and his eating habits if you’re not willing to drop the coffee addiction.”

“I’m not addicted,” Logan denied.

“Come now, Logan,” Deceit smirked. “Lying is my job. Don’t forget, the first step to tackling any addiction is to admit that you have a problem.”

“Right now, my only problem is your judgement,” Logan frowned. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m off to rewrite Thomas’ friends into my plan for improving his life, and since you’ve insulted me more than you’ve helped me today, I’m going back to my room to finish my work.”

“You do that,” Deceit said, waving him off. “I’ll just be here guarding your coffee pot.”

Logan didn’t believe him, but he gathered his things and turned to leave the kitchen and head back to his room. He wasn’t at all surprised when he heard the sound of his left over coffee being poured down the drain.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m case anyone’s confused on where this chapter takes place, it’s in between Growing Up and Making Some Changes. 
> 
> Hope y’all enjoy! I’m not 100% sure where this is going to end yet, but I’m thinking it’ll at least go to Can Lying Be Good? If not further.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Woah two chapters back to back? I haven’t done that in awhile.
> 
> (Side note, a new tag was added. Anyone catch it?)

Logan was not a fan of the purple. Not only was it unprofessional, it was downright childish. He could understand Thomas wanting to dye his hair, it was quite a common practice people used to regain some semblance of control in their life, but purple? Why couldn’t he have chosen a more natural color? 

Anxiety, or rather Virgil, hadn’t come out of his room since the big change. Logan didn’t blame him. He too wished to hide away. The purple didn’t work well with his collared shirt and necktie. At least Virgil’s go-to outfit was solid black. The purple could work there, assuming the anxious side wasn’t going for a professional look

Patton and Roman couldn’t hide their excitement over the new color. Patton was pro- keeping Thomas happy, and Roman loved the idea of standing out even more. 

Perhaps Thomas listened to Patton more than Logan wanted to admit.

“Not a fan of the new do?”

Logan resisted the urge to groan out loud at the sound of Deceit. He was looking forward to hiding away in the library, away from the rest of the sides and away from any mirrors in order to avoid looking at his hair. Of course Deceit would come in and ruin his moment of peace.

“What gave it away?” Logan asked, his eyes focusing on the shelves of books instead of the other side.

“Call it a wild guess.”

“A wild guess for a wild new look,” Logan hummed. “I take it you’re a fan of the change?”

Deceit shrugged. “While I’m all for Thomas doing something for himself, purple wasn’t my first choice.”

“Oh really?” Logan asked. “What color would you have deemed more appropriate?”

“I’m more of a green or yellow guy myself. I take it you would’ve preferred a more natural color though, am I right?” Deceit chuckled.

“A darker brown or a lighter blonde would’ve been much easier to pull off professionally, while also allowing Thomas some changes to his outward appearance.”

“But that’s not what Thomas wanted.”

“Well, what Thomas wants isn’t always what’s best for him.”

Deceit didn’t respond to that. Logan grabbed a book off of the shelf and glanced over it. There was countless reading material available, but sometimes the shelves rotated to reflect on what Thomas was thinking out. Right now, Logan was face to face with the Harry Potter collection. 

“Do you need something, Deceit?” Logan asked.

The snake shook his head. “Nothing in particular. I heard you all managed to drag Anxiety out of his room.”

“You can refer to him by name now. He revealed it to the group,” Logan clarified.

“Oh really?” Deceit asked. “And what makes you think I know his name?”

“Do you not?”

“Quite bold of you to assume that’s information he’d trust me with,” Deceit scoffed.

“Well, if it is in fact something that you do not know, I’m not going to say it since it should be Anxiety that reveals that information to you,” Logan said. He grabbed the copy of “Harry Potter and The Sorcerer’s Stone,” off of the shelf and added it to the small pile of books he was carrying. His plan of Thomas starting a book club may have fallen through, but if he was going to give in to Thomas’ fun leisure activities, he could at least encourage him to reread a fictional book he had enjoyed before. Rereading a child’s book was better than watching blooper reels all day anyway.

“How do I know that Anxiety actually told you his name?” Deceit asked. “What if this is just a trick you’re using to get me to reveal his name?”

“So you admit you know his name?” Logan smirked.

“Mayhaps.”

“Of the love of- just say ‘maybe’ or ‘perhaps,’” Logan groaned. “You don’t need to combine the two.”

“What’s Anxiety’s name?” Deceit asked.

“You tell me,” Logan shot back.

“We could both say it on the count of three,” Deceit suggested.

Logan nodded. “That could work.”

“One...” Deceit started.

“Two...” Logan continued

“Three!” Both of them said at the same time. The two sides didn’t say anything afterwards though. Instead they just stared at one another, waiting for the other to speak first.

Deceit nodded once. “Well now I’m disappointed in both of us.”

“Did you honestly expect me to fall for your lies?” Logan scoffed. “We both know I’m smarter than that.”

“I’m sorry, I didn’t expect logic to take a page from my book and rely on deception,” Deceit frowned. “You’re the one who agreed to my terms.”

“Technically I never agreed. I just said that it could work,” Logan corrected.

Deceit narrows his eyes at the logical side in annoyance. “Touché.”

The library doors opened and both sides turned to see who else decided to walk in. Logan and Deceit were the only ones who used the room the majority of the time. Surprisingly, the newest side to get on Thomas’ good side had stepped in, his hood pulled up to cover the freshly dyed purple hair.

“Anxiety,” Deceit greeted, his tone stale.

“You can use my name, _Deceit_ ,” Virgil said, putting emphasis on the serpent’s known title. “I told them when Thomas admitted that I wasn’t all bad.”

“How sweet,” Deceit deadpanned.

“Speaking of all bad though, what are you doing here?” Virgil asked, keeping his eyes pinned to Deceit. 

“You wound me, Virgil!” Deceit said, covering his heart with his hand in mock pain. “Is this not a public space in the mind palace, open to all sides?”

“It is,” Virgil agreed. “But everyone knows Logan is the only one who really uses it.”

Deceit glanced back at Logan and rolled his eyes. “Not even a week after you teamed up with the goody two shoes sides and you’re already playing the role of guard dog.”

“Is he bothering you, Logan?” Virgil asked, looking past Deceit towards Logan. 

“No more than usual,” Logan replied.

Deceit raised his hands in surrender. “I was just simply asking Logan how he felt about the new hair color Thomas chose. Forgive me for trying to engage in a simple conversation.”

“I’m fine, Virgil,” Logan said. “I can handle a simple snake in the garden.”

Virgil glanced between the two, not fully trusting Deceit’s reasoning for being there. Deceit held eye contact with the former ‘dark side’ before sighing and glancing back at Logan. “I can tell when I’m unwanted. I’ll take my leave now. Might as well go ask everyone else their opinion on Thomas coloring his hair. It could be a way to get Thomas to focus on himself in the future.”

Deceit left, brushing past Virgil on his way out. Virgil watched him leave before turning back to Logan. “Are you okay?”

Logan nodded. “I said before that I could handle him.”

“You shouldn’t have to though,” Virgil sighed. “I’m sorry, I assumed he was attempting to mislead you about... certain things.”

“If you’re concerned that Deceit has somehow slandered your name or spread misinformation about you to the rest of us, don’t be,” Logan said. “Remember, the only one that really seems to trust him is the Duke, and his opinion of anyone isn’t worth much. While Deceit didn’t attempt to talk badly about you in my presence, remember that even if he tries to with Patton or Roman, they won’t pay much attention to him. Trust me.”

Virgil coughed into his fist in an attempt to hide his smile. “Uh, thanks. For not doubting me, I mean.”

“Think nothing of it,” Logan waved off. 

“Was he really here just to ask about hair color?” Virgil asked. “I just mean, he’s never been the one for small talk. There’s a purpose behind everything he says.”

Logan sighed and went back to the shelves of books that sat in front of him. “Honestly, I couldn’t tell you Deceit’s true purpose in coming here today.” He grabbed another book from the shelf. 

“Well, if he’s bothering you, lemme know,” Virgil said. “I might be able to get him to back off.”

“Thank you for your concern, Virgil,” Logan nodded. “But trust me, he’s nothing I can’t handle on my own.”

Virgil nodded and left without adding anything else to the conversation. Logan sighed in relief. He was finally alone and able to focus all of his attention on whatever book he decided to start reading. As much as he wanted to read “The Tiger’s Wife,” by Téa Obreht, a book that had been on his list of books to read for awhile now, his mind kept going back to the Harry Potter book in his hand. 

Logan’s phone vibrated in his pocket. He had turned the sound off upon entering the library out of respect for the environment. Logan set down the books and pulled out his phone to check the message.

“ _Thanks for keeping Virgil’s name a secret._ ”

Logan stared at the message for a moment, but before he could respond, another message from Deceit popped up.

“ _Not that I care about the little traitor. Don’t get the wrong idea here._ ”

Logan chuckled and quickly typed out his own response.

“ _Deceit,_

_I don’t think you’re allowed to refer to yourself as a liar if you’re not very good at it._

_Sincerely,_

_Logan ‘Logic’ Sanders._ ”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We’re officially into season 2 Sanders Sides territory here! Which just means we’re closer to Deceit’s big reveal. I think I know where I’m going to end this particular story now, but I’m still not 100% sure how many chapters are left, so I’m going to refrain from posting an official end chapter number just yet.
> 
> Like always, thank you all for taking the time to read these! I know there’s not much purpose to this particular fic, but I’m having fun writing it nonetheless, and I’m happy to see people enjoying it 💚


	9. Chapter 9

It was bound to happen eventually. Logan was just disappointed with himself that he took so long to catch on. All of the clues were there, but he allowed himself to overlook the small things and believe what his eyes saw. He should’ve known the moment Patton started referencing famous philosophers. 

“Why so down, teach?”

That was a voice Logan had heard enough of for a lifetime. 

“You make one appearance to Thomas and suddenly you’re comfortable enough to linger in the living room?” Logan asked, shifting his focus towards the snake leaning against the door frame. 

“What can I say?” Deceit said, shrugging. “I think I left quite an impression.”

“You know Thomas doesn’t trust you,” Logan reminded him. “Therefore, your impression wasn’t a positive one.”

“You were about to break my cover there at the end,” Deceit said, ignoring Logan’s comment. “My question is why did it take so long before you tried to say anything?”

Logan’s eyes narrowed at the question. “It’s not like I would’ve been able to say anything even if I had caught on earlier.”

“So you admit that I was able to fool even you?” Deceit laughed. 

“Yes, but I fail to see the humor there. Your job is lying and deception. Therefore, it’s not surprising to see that you were able to fool us,” Logan admitted. “Well, most of us. Virgil caught on much quicker.”

Deceit sighed and looked down the hall that led to Virgil’s room. “Ah yes, I figured he’d be on edge like always.” He shifted his gaze back toward Logan and smiled just a little too wide to be considered natural. “But I want to get back to the convincing you part.”

“What, do you desire a gold star for fooling me?” Logan asked. “Congratulations, you know how to do the bare basics of your job.”

“You’re the one who said that I couldn’t call myself Deceit if I was bad at lying.”

Logan tried to hold back his laughter and just ended up snorting in the process. “That’s what this is all about? You attempting to prove a point?”

Deceit glared at him. “Less of an attempt and more of a success I’d say.”

“Sorry, I’m just trying to make sense of this,” Logan said, trying to stifle his laughter. “You disguise yourself as Patton and finally made yourself known to Thomas just to prove to me that you were good at lying?”

“Yes, because everything is about you, Logan,” Deceit said, rolling his eyes. “While I’ll admit, proving a point to you was a nice bonus, I truly was just waiting for a moment like this to occur.”

“A moment in which Thomas would’ve been tempted to outright lie?”

“It’s what I’m meant for,” Deceit shrugged. “And I almost succeeded.”

Logan chuckled and adjusted his glasses. “As someone who is used to getting his ideas and suggestions getting shot down by Thomas, don’t take it personally.”

That comment seemed to catch Deceit off guard. “Excuse me?”

“You’re the one who pointed it out to me,” Logan reminded him. “Patton’s the one who Thomas chooses to listen to most of the time. You’re Patton’s foil, so of course Thomas isn’t going to pick you over morality.”

“Glad to hear Thomas would rather appear to be a good person instead of watching out for himself.”

Logan shrugged. He understood where Deceit was coming from, but he couldn’t see Patton taking any argument regarding morality versus self preservation that far. “If it provides you with any comfort, Thomas did actively try to get rid of Virgil the first few times he made himself known before he started to accept his presence.”

“I can’t tell if you’re encouraging me to keep trying to get Thomas to lie, or if you’re just attempting to comfort me,” Deceit admitted. “And frankly, I’m not sure which answer I prefer.”

“Well than lucky for you, it’s neither of those,” Logan smirked. “Patton brought up a good point after you left. You’re more than just the concept of lying. I know your overall purpose is self preservation. It’s similar to how Virgil’s purpose is alerting Thomas to potential dangers. Your job itself isn’t bad, it’s just your execution that’s iffy.”

Deceit paused for a moment, but eventually grinned once again. “Now where was this defense when I was actually there? You were pretty quick to shoot down my ideas.”

“You suggested that Thomas remain ignorant,” Logan recalled. “That directly goes against everything I stand for. Once again, I understand attempting to protect Thomas, but your execution needs work.”

“Practice makes perfect,” Deceit sighed. “Guess I’ll just have to keep showing up until Thomas eventually listens to me. It took you awhile, but I heard you had a win finally the other day over Pat.”

“Oh?” Logan hummed. “Listening in on our conversations I see.”

“Never,” Deceit denied. “I just wanted to offer up my congratulations. I mean, it took you quite a while to achieve your goal, or rather, a fraction of your goal, but you got there! Good job!” He added on a slow clap with the last two words, grinning sarcastically.

Logan rolled his eyes. “If you are only hanging around now to see how long it takes to get on my nerves, please understand I’m not glued to this seat. I will simply get up and go back to my own quarters. So if you had anything of value to say, I’d suggest getting it over with before I decide I’m finished with this conversation.”

“Touchy, touchy,” Deceit scoffed. “I had come over just to annoy you, but now that I have you here-”

“You don’t have me anywhere, I am able to leave at any time,” Logan cut in.

“Whatever, since we’re currently existing in the same location,” Deceit corrected, rolling his eyes. “May I ask you a question- apart from this question?”

The over clarification had Logan stifling a laugh. While he understood why Deceit made his request that clear, it was humorous to watch him go to such lengths to prevent Logan from pointing out a flaw in the statement. The effort was appreciated, as well as entertaining. Logan coughed into his hand in an attempt to hide his laughter. “You may ask me a question.”

Deceit paused, clearly trying to mentally word his question before asking it. 

“You said earlier that you understand that I’m more than just deception,” he started slowly. 

Logan nodded. “Correct, I’m well aware that you’re Thomas’ self preservation.”

Deceit nodded back. “Yes, well... while I have no regrets about making myself known to Thomas, I was wondering if, from a logical standpoint, it was a good idea?”

That was new. Logan had gone to the serpent a few times in the past for help, but it was rare to see Deceit question his own actions. While nothing on the snake’s face gave away how he was feeling, Logan got the impression that he was concerned that he made a bad move in keeping Thomas’ mental health in check.

“Yes, I think your timing made sense,” Logan admitted. “Thomas was wanting to lie, and fearing the loss of friendship, you pushed him to do what you thought would be best. Now, because you’ve had him believing he was a completely honest person this whole time, it might take him awhile to wrap his head around the fact that you are a side to his singular personality, and I know he’s worrying about other potential hidden sides, but in my opinion, it was best that you showed up now while the situation was so severe. No matter what option Thomas went with today, honesty or lying, I can’t imagine Joan holding this small of an issue against him.”

Deceit didn’t say anything, so Logan continued. “That being said, your execution wasn’t great. While Patton and I understand what your overall role is, the others, including Thomas, don’t, and just because Patton knows, doesn’t mean he agrees.”

“Basically, no one trusts me,” Deceit simplified. 

Logan paused. “I said your execution was poor. I trust that when it comes to more serious matters, you’ll do your job and keep Thomas safe. But overall, no, no one, myself included, trusts you.”

Deceit smiled and bowed his head slightly. “Well, I appreciate the honesty. Good day, Logan. You won’t be seeing me anytime soon.”

He took his leave, exiting down the hall towards his room. Logan chuckled to himself over Deceit’s parting words.

“Somehow, I highly doubt that.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This wasn’t how I had planned on ending this particular fic, but after rewriting the end of this chapter, I felt like this would be the best stopping point. I have other one-shots I want to write for this series and I don’t want to drag this fic out too long. This just felt like a good, natural ending. 
> 
> Thank you everyone who took the time to read this, thank you for the kudos, and as always, thank you for the lovely comments. You guys are wonderful and I appreciate every single one of you 💚

**Author's Note:**

> This'll probably just be a couple interactions between Janus and Logan in season one of Sanders Sides. No real plot, just the two brain cells of the group conversing.


End file.
